Criminal cases that the Crown Prosecution Service take to court are in the news every day. This section also covers many issues related to our work, including violence against women and girls, hate crime, support for victims and witnesses, statistics, and speeches by the Director of Public Prosecutions and other senior staff.
Latest news
You can find our latest news stories here and search for older stories. You can also find more information about high-profile cases and the work of the CPS.
A woman has been jailed for sending death threats and offensive messages to the producer and a presenter of the television show Countdown.Laura Greenwood, 42, of Bedford Street South in Toxteth, Liverpool was a contestant on the show in March 2013, under the name Rachel Moran. Shortly after…
A 67-year-old man has been convicted of abusing children over three decades in one of the biggest child sex abuse cases that the Crown Prosecution Service in Merseyside and Cheshire has ever dealt with.On 24 June 2025, at Chester Crown Court, after a six week trial, William Woods, of Congleton, was…
A jobless fraudster who claimed to be the “British Kardashian” has pleaded guilty to swindling people out of thousands of pounds in a handbag sales hoax.At Chester Crown Court today, Jack Watkin, 26, of Wilmslow Road in Alderley Edge in Cheshire, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false…
Press ReleaseFraud and economic crimeMersey-Cheshire
Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire said:“The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised Merseyside Police to charge Paul Doyle, 53 from West Derby, Liverpool, with dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, wounding with intent to cause GBH and…
A father and son who were involved in the large-scale supply of cocaine have been jailed for a total of more than twenty four years.Raymond Kinnear, 63, who lived in a caravan in Llangollen in North Wales and his son Nathan Kinnear, 23, of Satinwood Crescent, Melling on Merseyside were arrested on…
A gang of three Liverpool men who worked together to steal high-value “keyless” cars from residential addresses have been jailed.Sean Fagan, 31, Whitney Road, Woolton, Daniel Johnston, 37, of Ingrave Road, Walton, and Curtis Morrison, 31, of Sparrow Hall Road, Walton, conspired together to…
Press ReleaseInternational and organised crimeMersey-Cheshire
A man who groomed and sexually abused several children, sometimes for payment, has been jailed for 20 years.Michael Lymath, 43, from Southport, made contact with the teenagers, a boy and five girls, via social media and online games. He was aware that they were all children and began by talking…
The Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted three men after a BBC Panorama programme revealed bullying and assaults on pupils at a school.The Life school in New Brighton, Wirral, was a private alternative educational provision for children with special educational needs such as autism…
A targeted stop and search pilot in Merseyside is drawing to a close, ahead of a decision to roll the post-conviction powers out nationally. Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) were introduced on Wednesday 19 April 2023 in four areas – Merseyside, Thames Valley, West Midlands and Sussex …
A man who groomed three teenage girls via social media sites and then sexually abused them has been jailed for life.Marc Noonan, 27, from Liverpool, moved from one victim to the next and escalated the violence and abuse against the girls as time went on.His youngest victim was just 13. The other…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesMersey-Cheshire
Press Office contact details
Please note that our Press Office is NOT able to deal with issues or queries from members of the public - these contact details are for accredited journalists ONLY. Do not call this number unless you a member of the press. For all general enquiries, please visit contact.cps.gov.uk.
If you are a national or international journalist with a media enquiry, you can contact the CPS Press Office on 020 3357 0906 or email [email protected] (9am-5pm weekdays only).
For out-of-hours media enquiries please call 020 3357 0906 to reach the duty press officer.
If you follow us on social media, you can expect posts covering some or all of the following:
Operational updates on decisions to prosecute or take no further action;
Reactions and statements on trial outcomes;
Policy updates from the Director of Public Prosecutions and other prosecutors;
Updates on media appearances by CPS staff
Content that explains the role of the CPS and how we work
Highlighting of relevant work by our criminal justice partners and other stakeholders
We will aim to be fair and accurate in all the information we publish. We will aim to correct any inaccuracies as soon as possible.
We are unable to monitor social media round the clock. We are not able to engage with all those who seek a response from us due to resources but also due to privacy and the sensitive nature of some of our work. The best way to contact the CPS is through our website.
Please do not try to report crime using social media. To report crime, please call 101 or visit your local police station. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you follow us on social media we will not automatically follow you back. Being followed by us does not imply endorsement of any kind.
Media protocol
To ensure greater openness in the reporting of criminal proceedings, the CPS, the police and media representatives developed a joint protocol for working together. We are currently in the process of updating the protocol.
